Venom: Let There Be Carnage just had a record-breaking opening weekend at the North American box office. While the stage has been set for a battle between Eddie Brock and Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a Venom 3 somewhere down the line is an inevitability at this stage.
Prior to the sequel being released, we took a look at the heroes and villains who should cross paths with Venom before the web-slinger. Now we know that meeting is going to happen, it's time to look beyond their battle to figure out who would be the perfect fit for the next instalment of the franchise.
Needless to say, it's an exciting time to be a fan of Venom, and there are lots of heroes and villains Andy Serkis can pull from the comic books when he hopefully returns for this follow-up.
To take a look through this feature, all you guys need to do is hit the "Next" button below!
8. The Fortunato Family
If you read Mark Millar's superb Marvel Knights: Spider-Man run, you'll know that a wimpy young man called Angelo Fortunato became the second man to wear the Venom Symbiote after Eddie Brock sold it in an auction. Finally able to take his frustrations out on those around him, Angelo quickly embraced his other's monstrous nature but died when the Symbiote abandoned him.
Angelo was part of the Fortunato crime family, and seeing as we've already seen a group like The Life Foundation taking on Venom, it makes sense for the Lethal Protector to go after these crooks.
There are other ways Angelo could don his own alien suit, of course, but the family stealing the suit from Eddie and giving it to Angelo could make for an enjoyable diversion. After all, Venom's meeting with Spider-Man could help establish how different hosts ultimately influence the alien.
7. Stewart Ward
Senator Stewart Ward was introduced during some of those awful Howard Mackie issues of Amazing Spider-Man in the 1990s and was aligned with HYDRA. However, when some of Spider-Man's villains learned of his true nature - and the fact that he'd been infected with an alien virus - they attempted to extort him and he wound up squaring off with both Spidey and Venom.
If that all sounds a bit convoluted and crappy, it's because it was. But a United States Senator with an alien side could work well here, especially if he's actually serving the Symbiotes and uses his influence to send a group like The Jury after Venom at their request. He's far from an essential addition to a third movie, but he's someone Sony could use in a lot of cool ways.
A villain like this also leaves the door open to exploring Eddie's journalistic skills and Venom's desire to be a Lethal Protector.
6. Demogoblin
Jason Philip Macendale Jr. was the Hobgoblin, but after being defeated by both Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, he made a deal with a demon that saw him imbued with incredible powers...and possessed by a demonic entity. Eventually, the demon tore itself away from Macendale and become the Demogoblin.
Demogoblin aligned itself with Carnage during the "Maximum Carnage" storyline, and there are lots of ways the character could be reinvented for the big screen. Having Venom go up against some sort of demon (who could even be revealed as actually being another Symbiote) might make for a fun and crazy dynamic that takes this franchise down some crazy, supernatural routes.
That's a side of Venom's world the movies have yet to explore, so Demogoblin could open the door to a lot of new storytelling avenues that are vastly more exciting than more symbiote vs. symbiote action.
5. The Jury
The Life Foundation proved to be a pretty underwhelming bunch of goons led by Carlson Drake, but The Jury could be a big improvement and a great secondary antagonist for Venom 3.
Led by General Orwell Taylor, this group existed solely to take out Venom, and they were a huge part of Eddie's time as a Lethal Protector (which appears to be where this franchise is heading).
Each member of The Jury was outfitted with powerful armoured suits and tech based on Tony Stark's designs. Throw in the fact that they had sonic blasters and flamethrowers, and it's not hard to imagine the government tasking this clandestine group with taking out Venom. Remember, his existence appears to have been exposed on the world he calls home, hence why he's now in hiding.
4. Knull
Venom dropped some big hints that the Symbiotes hail from an alien planet, and Knull is definitely a character with a lot of potential in a live-action setting. In the comics, he's the God of the Symbiotes and the ancient being responsible for their creation. It all depends on how much Sony wants to delve into their origin story and whether they'll take this franchise down a more sci-fi route.
It's a shame that Venom: Let There Be Carnage didn't spend a little more time exploring the alien's history, though the post-credits scene did at least hint at what he's been through over the years.
Knull feels like the ultimate big bad for this franchise, and rushing him wouldn't do the villain justice. Perhaps Venom 3 could introduce him, setting the stage for a final clash in Venom 4? Either way, this relatively new character from the comic books could be a game-changer for the franchise.
3. Toxin
In one of Venom and Carnage's most entertaining clashes, the two Symbiotes went to war after Toxin was born. Carnage's child and Venom's grandson, the Toxin Symbiote bonded with NYPD officer, Patrick Mulligan. Unlike Eddie Brock and Cletus Kasady, Pat was never tempted to give in to his darker impulses and constantly struggled to keep Toxin on the side of the angels.
The stage for this was set in the closing moments of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and there's definitely some potential for a good story here, especially as Toxin's abilities essentially make him poisonous to the other Symbiotes. A cop unleashing the powers of one of these aliens is also very different to a journalist and serial killer, so that might be fun to explore.
This feels like an inevitability for the next Venom movie, but Pat would probably be a better secondary villain than lead, even with the extremely talented Stephen Graham bringing Toxin to life.
2. Anti-Venom
Eddie Brock became Anti-Venom when both he and the symbiote crossed paths with Mr. Negative. Thanks to his newfound powers, Anti-Venom could destroy other symbiotes with just a touch, and that could be essential if we finally see more of these aliens make their presence felt in an invasion.
In terms of introducing Anti-Venom as a brand new character, that's certainly one possibility, but it's hard to say who could fill that role. However, we wouldn't say no to Eddie donning this suit while Anne Weying finally suits up as She-Venom for more than just a couple of scenes.
Reimagining Anti-Venom as a man-made antagonist is another compelling possibility, while we think merging him with Agent Venom could also result in a fun adventure for Eddie and his other. This could even be the next evolution of Venom, though we'd hate to see the character move on to a design like this so soon after he hopefully gains a comic accurate suit after meeting Spider-Man.
1. Morbius
Morbius is now set to be released next year, and the trailer and set photos have indicated that it will also somehow play into whatever weirdness is going on in the Marvel Multiverse. Regardless, The Living Vampire is definitely a character who would make for both an exciting ally and enemy to Venom.
Leto and Hardy working together has a tonne of potential, and there are countless ways Sony could tie Morbius and Venom's stories together. Who better for a Lethal Protector to target than a vampire who is rumoured to be feasting on the innocent people of Eddie's new home in New York City?
It all depends how Morbius is received next year, but providing the movie exceeds expectations, there's really no reason not to bring these two Spider-Man villains together on the big screen.